Machine for stretching and drying cloth.



E. R. MBINIG.

MACHINE FOR STRETGHING AND DRYING CLOTH.

APPLIUATION FILEDDEG.23,1912.

1,067,829, Patented July 22, 1913.

Ernest Richard Meinig,

Wa 71 1 c5512 0 i 1 c 1 %M J 8 House ERNEST RICHARD MEINIG, or marine,PENNSYLVANIA.

nncmnn FOR srnnrcnntennb DRYING crown.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 22, 1913.

Application filed December 23, 1912. Serial No. 738,193.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, ERNEST RICHARD Minnie, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at- Reading, in the county of Berks and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in.Machines for Stretching and Drying Cloth,

tion, and is specifically pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation indicating the essential features of astretching and drying mechanism embodying my improvements; the endportions of a known form of tentering machine through which thecontinuously fed fabric is. carried being represented sufiiciently toshow the cooperative relation of my improvements thereto. Fig. 2 is apartial front-end view similar to Fig. 1, indieatinga preliminaryfeeding operation. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail plan views.

The tentering machine indicated comprises a pair 'of endless chains 2,each of which passes over suitably operated chain wheels 3, 3, locatedat opposite ends of the machine, and is provided with tenter-hooks 4upon which the respective selvage edges of the fabric are caught. Thesechains travel in side guide frames whichhave adjustably inclinedfabric-entering sections 5 i'votally connected to main parallel sectionsso as to effect any desired lateral stretching of the entering fabric;after which the stretched fabric is carried through the machine, andsimultaneously subjected to the drying action of heated air, until it isreleased from the chains by the delivery mechanism at the exit end. Suchmachines are well known, and the particular construction thereof isimmaterial to my invention which consists in the improved feed anddelivery mechanism provided in cooperative relation therewith.

My improved mechanism, at the entering end ofthe machine, is adapted tofacilitate the continuous furnishing of anindefinite length of fabric,ordinarily made up of connected pieces, to the tentering machine, with adetermined lengthwise stretching action thereon, and with provision foraccurately varying such stretchi action as may be required; while the dcivery mechanism is adapted to provide a further stretching action uponthe discharging material for the purpose of producing a uniformly smoothsurfacing of the treated fabric.

Lengthwise stretching of the fabric is effected preliminaryto itsengagement with the tentering hooks of the carrying chains referred to,by means of the improved feeding mechanism shown to the left of thelatter. This mechanism, as shown, co1nprises a primary feed drum 10, anda secondary feed drum 11, each of which is provided with a shaft, 12 and13 respectively, having a drive pulley 14 or 15, and a clutch device 16or 17 whereby each of said drums may be either positively driven, orfreed from the driving power, as desired. Each drum is also providedwith a suitable brake mechanism adapted to frictionally control itsrotation when freed from the driving power, said brake mechanismcomprising in each case as shown, a brake lever 20 having a sliding orvariable Weight 21 thereon whereby to accurately vary the brakingaction. These drums are employed, as here after described, in connectionwith a 00- operating series of guide rolls over which the fabric ispassed; said guide rolls com prising, as indicated, a staggered seriesof rolls 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, mounted in suitably located supportingframes 30 and provided in well known manner with a brake-belt 31 andweight lever 32 for frictionally regulating their-freedom of rotation bythe passing fabric; an additional guide roll or rolls, 35, 36, beingalso provided, as indicated, adjacent the chain wheels 3, to lead thefabric into engagement with the carrying chains. Cooperating with thisfeed mechanism, as hereafter described, is a fabric-measuring device,comprising ordinary measuring wheels 40 mounted upon one of the sideguide sections 7 for the carrier chains, and which is adapted toautomatically indicate the length of the chain-carried fabric passing itso as to enable the operator to regulate the stretching tension of thefeed mechanism as may be required to definitely secure the desiredstretching efi'ect.

As the chain-carried fabric reaches the forward chain-wheels 3, it ispassed to a suitably mounted delivery roll 45, which is which is movablycarried by a pair of frictional-drive rolls 5O 51 therefor; the surfaceof said guide roll '48 being reversely grooved fro-m the middle portionthereof in -well known manner, so as to laterally spread the fabric andinsure its being smoothly and tightly rolled upon the drum 49.

The operation of my improved mechanism is as follows: The dampenedfabric is first wrapped upon the rotated primary feed drum 10, beingpassed thereto-over one or more of the guide rolls described, from thecontainer 60 as indicated in Fig. 2. The drum L0 is then freed from itsdriving means by operating its clutch 16, and the fabric is ledtherefrom, through all or certain of the friction controlled guiderolls, to the main feed drum 11; which latter is then driven so as todraw the fabric from the freed drum 10 against the resisting action ofthe adjusted brake devices on the latter, thereby subjecting the fabricto a regulated lengthwise stretching and tightly wrapping it upon thedrum 11. Finally the drum 11 is freed from its driving means byoperating the clutch 17, leaving its rotation under control of its brakemechanism 20, 21, and the fabric is passed over certain orall of theguide rolls to the engaging carrier chains. The pull of the latter thensubjects the fabric to further lengthwise stretching between the drum 11and the carrier chains, as determined mainly by thefrictional resistanceto-rotation of the drum 11 due to the regulated brake action thereon.,As the fabric passes the measuring wheel 40, the operator notes therecorded passing length of a marked portion thereof as indicating theneed of more or less tension upon the feeding fabric to secureapredetermined amount of lengthwise stretch, and is enabled to accuratelyad ust the braking friction accordingly. As the fabric is released fromthe carrier chains, the speeded drumlroll 45 with its cooperatingadjacent roll 46 and the laterallyspreading guide roll 48, insure itssmooth frictionally controlling the rotation of the freed drum. 4

2. In-combination with a tentering machine comprising fabric carrierchains; a feed mechanism at one end thereof comprising africtiomcontrolled feed drum and friction controlled guide rolls for theentering fabric; and a fabric delivery mechanism at the other endcomprising a delivery roll actuated at greater surface speed than saidcarrier chains, a presser roll arranged to directly cooperate with said,delivery roll as described,.and a take-hp drum.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' E. RICHARD MEINIG. Witnesses:

D. M. STEWART, W. G. STEWART.

